The Digital Fix: Music

The Goldberg Sisters

Although Mrs. Chris Martin may have caused a buzz recently with extracurricular music-related activities [cue flashback to her singing with Cee-Lo and his Muppets gang at the Grammys], Gwyneth is not alone in her dabblings as a recording artist. Screen-to-singing makeovers are rarely successful though, as Keanu Reeves will tell you, but now and again, something worthwhile does comes about, usually in the form of lo-fi, under-the-radar indie releases from B-listers like Jason Schwartzman, Zooey Deschanel and Ryan Gosling.

Adam Goldberg is less familiar to UK audiences, although the majority of the populus with a telly box will recognise him as 'Chandler's crazy roommate' in Friends, but you may have guessed - this is The Music Fix, after all - that he's also got a record out. In his guise as The Goldberg Sisters, Goldberg serves up an indie rock album with ambition to spare. Described as 'psychotropic pop', it's no wonder that Goldberg is best mates with The Flaming Lips because many of the songs here are similarly indebted to both psychedelic and retro influences. Some of the tracks are just too long but there's a lot to enjoy, with the likes of the ghostly ballad 'You're Beautiful When You Die' sharing disc space with tracks that just build and build like opener 'The Room'. Goldberg's Billy Corgan-esque voice may not be to everyone's tastes but his ear for melody is frequently in debt to The Beatles, which may trump the faintly whiny vocals. Listen out for 'Shush/Ooh La La', which is somewhat T. Rex in its aspirations, and the pleasantly soulful pop jam 'The Difference Between'.

While there's no standout hit that will make Goldberg the massive commercial star he's failed to become in film/TV, the album certainly deserves a few spins and, depending on your liking for offbeat slow-burners, it may just move from a supporting role in your CD player to the star turn. Now, when the hell is that Robert Pattinson record coming out? Anybody?

Overall

5

out of 10

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